Used Book Restoration & New Book Preservation

Restoring Used Books and Keeping Them Looking Good For Years to Come

A lot of really famous and fascinating books on Classical Music are Out-Of-Print, and only available used. This will be true for your new books in the future. We will show you how to restore used books, and to how to preserve both your used and new books for decades to come.

First, how to restore used books. The main source of supplies is DEMCO, a large company that specifically caters to Libraries. We will provide Links to products that are necessary to protect your paperbacks and hardcovers.

IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE: The Analog Guy, Inc., the owner of this web site, assumes NO responsibility for the quality of, or the proper operation of, or the condition of products recommended on this web site. The purchaser is advised to buy from a seller willing to stand behind their products and guarantee the condition of the products purchased.

Paperback Books

These are the most fragile and easily damaged. The first step is to restore the cover of the paperback. It typically has chips, folds, creases, and tears. After fixing this, add a VistaFoil adhesive-backed clear plastic material and wrap it around to the inside of all 6 edges of the book. This will protect the book from wear and water damage.

The Five products needed to restore the paperback covers are (1) Scotch Magic Tape, 3/4" width, (2) a set of multi-colored marking pens with lots of shades of colors, (3) a large permanent black marking pen, (4) A good book repair adhesive, and (5) Demco-sold "VistaFoil" clear covering. Do NOT use the cheaper versions Demco has, they are very difficult to handle. Also, absolutely do not use clear shelf paper, it is very acidic and will yellow the covers quickly.

1st Step

The first step is to repair any tears and places where the cover has separate from the spine. Use the book repair adhesive to re-glue the cover to the spine. During this entire process it is a good idea to be able to hold the book overnight between two boards held either by weight or with wood clamps. Also, re-enforce any tears in the cover with the Scotch tape applied to the inside of the covers.

Professionals in the book repair business use animal hide glue that is kept heated in electric glue pots. This is the best, but not practical for the amateur.

2nd Step

The second step is to use the colored pens of the same color as the portions of cover that have damage. Pen colors will apply darker, so learn to use a lighter color, experiment on other paper.

3rd Step

A picture is worth a thousand words, so please use the link button below to view a YouTube video I've made on how to apply Vistafoil.